How long Does a Water pump last

[PeterInSa]

Done about 170,000Km on our HJ61 Series latest water pump. Mechanic has checked it out as OK, via moving the fan blades etc etc. however would not like it to stop out in the bush and for me to replace with a new one. (Have one in the Cruiser as a Spare) vehicle has done 375,000Km.

I know its a question along the lines of " How long is a piece of string"

Whats your experience

Peter

[chris_stoffa]

Done about 170,000Km on our HJ61 Series latest water pump. Mechanic has checked it out as OK, via moving the fan blades etc etc. however would not like it to stop out in the bush and for me to replace with a new one. (Have one in the Cruiser as a Spare) vehicle has done 375,000Km.

I know its a question along the lines of " How long is a piece of string"

Whats your experience

Peter

IMHO, if you already have effective cooling , good coolant in the system , obvious coolant movement with cap off and no obvious reason to change it , leave it, it ain't broke, check it again at 250K .......... or on the other hand change it now and it should be good for another 170K .

Do you just change it out because you can and then all you have to worry about is will the new one then fail prematurely

All depends on your level of acceptance of risk .....do ya or don't you feel lucky............. well do ya ( punk )

[bru21]

A new one (viewed as a package inc gaskets, bolts etc.) would be more likely to fail IMO. Some of the LS1 ones have failed out the box. A mate had 3 fail in a matter of weeks.
With the belt off see if it feels kosher when you turn it (your mechanic has done it -but ideally you get a feel for it and then you can check it yourself from time to time.

Cheers bru

[PeterInSa]

Some 4 years ago, a mate changes his by the side of a country road, in summer with heat/flies etc a 4 hr effort, quite a bit older than me but more mechanically minded.

Take your point about the possibility of a new unit failing.

Peter

[SCANAS]

Yeah fuck waiting for one to cool down too! I've owned 4-5 60 series. Always carried a spare never had to use one! Carry the spare watch a YouTube tutorial, pack the tools & rest peacefully.

[stockhorse]

If you do want to make life a little easier for if/when the current pump fails, spend some time and cut the shroud so you don't have to do half as much on the side of the road.

[oldmate]

Check the bearing for play every time you change the belt. Replace when it starts to get loose.

On some engines it's considered good maintenance to change the pump when doing the timing belt (or every other timing belt). Engines such as the hilux diesels where the water pump is a considerable effort to remove. Fortunately the 2h/12ht isn't one of them.

How long do they last? I would say that over tightening belts is common and a good way to reduce the life of a water pump. It should be written in the owners' manual, but the deflection for a water pump belt is usually around 8-10mm

[rockcrawler31]

If you do want to make life a little easier for if/when the current pump fails, spend some time and cut the shroud so you don't have to do half as much on the side of the road.

shrouds exist for a very good reason, and hacking one up and ergo compromising the overall efficiency of the system for "might happen one day" even is just about the silliest idea ever.